Why it works: Mustard and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Boiled Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Mix the dry ingredients (mustard, powdered sugar, salt, cayenne, flour, melted butter).
Stir the yolk of one egg, melted butter, and milk into the dry mixture.
Cook and finish
Stir the mixture over hot water until it begins to thicken.
Stir in the vinegar.
When the mixture is as thick as heavy cream, strain and cool.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Mustard + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,066 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Starch swells when heated, helping thicken the dressing into a smooth body.
- Egg
- Egg yolk proteins set gently with heat, thickening and enriching the dressing.
- Butter
- Melted butter adds richness and a smooth, creamy mouthfeel.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the richness.
The step that matters
Stir over hot water until it begins to thicken. Egg proteins set with gentle heat and thicken the dressing, but too much heat or too little stirring can curdle the yolk into lumps. Keep the heat moderate and stir constantly.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, vinegar, egg):
- Shallotfits better
- Chivefits about as well
- Cucumberfits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, vinegar, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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